I’ve been rambling on and on about the productivity and/or visual boost which one can get from Compiz Fusion, the Live-CD function that enables you to try out Linux before installing it, etc. etc. etc.!
But what about you?
Many Linux users know why they use Linux, everyone has a reason they chose the Linux Desktop. Some of the qualities of Linux are speed (because of good, open code) and most importantly, choice.
I like the fact that you can work even if you don’t have a graphical desktop, I like being able to launch everything by typing very short commands (which is way faster than point-n-click). I like that you can re-spin the whole system and make your own flavor of GNU/Linux. Software freedom is also extremely important and Linux has probably developed faster, but I cannot say that Linux being Free Software was my main reason for using it. Let’s not forget, there is a multitude of other operating systems out there which are under open source licenses.
And let’s not forget the great apps that are Linux only. Sure, there are some things that are still not available on the Linux desktop, but with WINE and all of the other cool software we love (Geany, Banshee…) gives us the power we need.
So, my question goes to everyone who uses Linux as their main desktop. Why do you? Is it the freedom? The apps? The speed? Tell us!
Mockup from www.portefolje.net
A Linux distro is basically someone saying: here’s a collection of packages that works well together, now keep it or change it as you wish.
Oh I get it, if GNU/Linux can’t make the user drool when he sees a Linux desktop, we’ll never get a large userbase. Here’s what I think; let’s not teach people to recognize Linux, but let’s teach people to recognize something that works as Linux.
Lots of people are still complaining about the default Ubuntu theme and while I congratulate the artists that brought us Hardy Heron (really, making brown and orange and beige almost attractive is quite a feat), aside from the background and a few Wm tweaks here & there, there was nothing new, nothing to ‘Wow‘ the users.
There have been lots of posts on other blogs about how an Ubuntu theme or color scheme change would be in order for Intrepid Ibex, but what they forget to mention is that the designers don’t have an easy job, because:
You want Ubuntu to work on computers that don’t support fancy graphics.
Most of the polished and popular stuff does use the fancy graphics support.
But wait, now we’re already talking about Linux’ look. Should Linux have a look? I think not.
AWN and Compiz work on my computer - it’s always a gamble though, because most of the time, on computers older than three years, this stuff cannot work properly. Computers are getting cheaper, so most of us think it’s not a problem. We are forgetting that many people cannot afford a brand new compatible powerhouse. Many will stick with UMPC’s. So the question is, how can we make Ubuntu attractive and functional, while maintaining hardware support?
I tried it and with the current software it’s almost impossible. You have stuff like wbar, for instance the gOS team is struggling with the stuff. I don’t believe it’ll work, especially because AWN is the only good Dock that doubles as a Window navigator & Launchers, but still retains the same smooth look and feel as Mac OSX’ Dock.
You can’t make Linux restrict your choices (except if you buy Linux XP). People know the stuff’s there and everyone’s free to do apps as they want to. If you want to upgrade, you can install what you want - install a KDE app in GNOME. These projects cannot unite, because they are using the freedom to do what they want. There would be no fun in doing something you don’t want to do as a volunteer. Companies can pay the developers to do something unified, but the community is still bigger. And you don0′t boss the community. How would you feel when you wouldn’t be able to switch to KDE just because this distro wants other users to know it’s Linux when they see GNOME?
That was my little rant, how do you feel about Ubuntu’s look? Do you also share my thoughts that it would be almost impossible to restrict Linux to a unified look & feel? Please comment, I’m excited to read what other people think about this.
WHUT?
Google Chrome is a new open source browser made by, you guessed it, Google. Ok, so yeah, the guys are trying to do something revolutionary. They are using open source. I repeat, open source. Of course, Google is a company and I know they would like to reach most of the crowd with the beta version of the browser first (we’ll see how fast they get out of this ‘beta’). But what the heck does this mean?
Ars Technica; “Google says that an early test version for Windows will be released tomorrow, and support for Linux and Mac OS X will arrive in future releases. “
If Google likes open source so much, it could at least let the most important open source operating system (which the open source crowd pretty much likes, right?) have a beta version to test on their preferred platform…
It’s almost like if Apple released a new beta of iTunes for Windows first, just to reach more users.
By the way, this is my personal opinion, so please don’t bitch in the comments section about how much my opinion sucks. I will delete hate.
In the recent years, podcasting has been gaining momentum and today we have a multitude of podcasts for almost every topic, including my favorite (and yours, I hope), GNU/Linux. Instead of listening to the same song over and over, why not educate yourself about the latest in open source technology?
If you like what you’re reading, go on - cause here’s a list of my favorite podcasts, along with a short description. Some of them are recorded by normal Linux users, and others have some hard-core Linux hackers on board - what all these shows have in common though, is that they’re both fun and interesting.
Klaatu, the show-host of TBA, has been a Mac user for a long time. While this may not be a show for most newbie users, Klaatu’s Bad Apples provides a wealth of information about Linux on, and compared to the Macintosh OS X, with some focus on Slackware and Fedora. The new season started just a while ago.
What makes it special: Klaatu does the show alone, but somehow still manages to keep it dynamic and interesting. Also, the podcast features some cool sci-fi music which I enjoy listening to.
Dan Lynch and Fabian Aleksandar Scherschel are two Linux users who produce an interesting and funny Linux show each week. That’s why Linux Outlaws is mostly focused on new distros releases, bashing Microsoft and miscellaneous news, so check it out if you want to hear some cool comments and rants (while laughing until you piss your pants (check the rhyme)).
What makes it special: Just like the Linux Action Show (more on that later in the post), the audio quality is phenomenal (I believe both hosts have some experience in audio production). Dan and Fab’s jokes never get old, the atmosphere is laid-back, and it’s always interesting to hear a podcast made by an international crew.
“HEEEEEEEEY, BRIAN! “
The LAS is a fast-paced, informative and engaging (gosh, I hope I used that adjective right) podcast done by Chris and Brian of Jupiter Broadcasting (fame). The release “cycle” of each season is bi-weekly. The hosts always produce a hi-quality show with lots of interesting topics, news and reviews (the reviews are very well done). It is a podcast for both new users and experienced Linux nerds alike.
What makes it special: Don’t be surprised if you first think the show is recorded after smoking ridiculous amounts of crack. Just a little warning.
The Linux Link Tech Show, or TLLTS
TLLTS is recorded live by a group of experienced Linux users, based in the USA. It is the oldest Linux podcast I know of. Normally, the shows are very long, and the ‘frame’ is pretty lose, but Pat, Dann, Allan and Linc do a very entertaining show each week. The most interesting shows are probably the interviews: the TLLTS crew has interviewed a whole lot of famous (and infamous) people of the open-source world.
What makes it special: The show is, quite surprisingly very engaging, as it has an extremely ‘natural’ feeling to it - the show is recorded live, there are always glitches or dead air, but that’s what makes it fun, really. TLLTS’ Dann keeps a list of other Linux podcasts.
The Distrowatch Weekly is basically an ‘audio-book’ version of the Distrowatch Weekly Newsletter. DW Weekly is always well written, so it’s also pretty good in audio form.
“DistroWatch.com, the popular Linux distribution news and information site, publishes a weekly news and commentary section. Russ Wenner reads Ladislav Bodnar’s content, and adds a little of his own. “
What makes it special: Distrowatch.com’s featured stories are something no-one should miss, especially if you want to hear cool interviews or find out something new about GNU/Linux’ history or architecture. So why not listen to it?
That’s about it. Do you have any GNU/Linux podcasts you’d like to share with us? Please comment!
On a side note, I also do a GNU/Linux podcast (in English) with a friend from Lithuania.
Yeah, I’m going crazy with the number five. Let’s just do it.
FOSS is evolving. Computers are getting faster and cheaper. Nowadays, even open source software has a lot of internal competition, and with more processing power, developers are now able to churn out feature-rich applications. But do we need them? Most people go for the most popular apps, which everyone uses. Consequently, there is a multitude of apps which people don’t know that well. They are excellent programs, sadly though, you rarely see them on your average Linux user’s desktop.So here is a list of what I think are some of the most underrated Linux apps.
With the release of the new version on August the 8th, I think it’s time to introduce you folks to Cinelerra. Some people might think it’s ugly, or unintuitive, but Cinelerra’s true power lies in its capabilities, which may even surpass other modern non-linear video editing software. It’s something like the GIMP versus Photoshop: You can do almost all the stuff you want to, if you just learn Cinelerra’s way of doing things.
XMMS 2
The X Multimedia System, the ultimate alternative to Winamp, is being slowly dropped by users in favor of powerhouse players, such as Songbird, Banshee or AmaroK. There have been numerous fork like Audacious because of XMMS’ supposedly hard-to-maintain code-base, but nevertheless XMMS 2 remains a solid choice for users who just want a little app to play music with.
A small, lightweight browser, with some nice features. Well yeah, you don’t have the CSS bling, but who needs it if you just want to say, check your web-mail? I was always wondering why gOS doesn’t use it.
My favourite IDE with very few dependencies and support for tons of file-types, Geany is a cute little code editor. It is blazingly fast and sports many features teh big boys brag about.
Gnome Do
Note: I know some of the apps can be built and run on other operating systems.
